Christmas on the Disney Dream
Admiral Donald and the Christmas Tree
This year for Christmas, we did something completely different from what we have done before: we went on a Disney Cruise on the Disney Dream.
Yes, we have been on Disney Cruises before, but this was our first one during the Christmas season. Not to mention our first one not during the summer months. Or during hurricane season. We were actually cruising the week before Christmas, returning home in time to celebrate the holiday with our families.
Once again, we cruised with our friends the Riedels. This cruise was actually a celebration of Zach’s upcoming college graduation, so the cruise actually served two purposes, which made it even more fun.
The cruise itinerary was much the same as what we have done before, with stops at Castaway Cay and Nassau. But we found all kinds of things to do that we have not done before, so that made it a little different. And then all of the Christmas decorations and fun made it very different, too.
You can see here just some of the Christmas decorations, with the Christmas tree off in the distance behind the statue of Admiral Donald Duck in the Lobby Atrium of the Disney Dream. Lighted garland is also everywhere in the atrium to add to the Christmas decor.
As you might imagine, there will be lots of photos and lots to say about our cruise, and about our brief stay at the Art of Animation Resort at Walt Disney World before we met up with the Riedels, too. Watch for it in the very near future!
A Non-Traditional Christmas
Because of the costs of going on a cruise, we decided to have a slightly non-traditional Christmas this year. We still had all of our Christmas decorations that we had time to put up. We still sent out our yearly Christmas card. And we still had our family gathering with my parents on Christmas Eve. But we decided not to buy big presents for each other this year.
That was partly due to cost, but it was also partly due to the fact that we have just about everything we need. And we have most everything we want. So instead of buying things we did not need, we went and made family memories on a cruise. And it was great!
Who says you have to do the same thing every year? Besides, of course, the stores who make a good bit of money off of that sort of thing. Memories last longer than many things last. And we have some really good memories of being on a nice, warm beach in the middle of December, something that we usually do not do. And it was good.
Sometimes it is fun to change things up, just to keep things a little different.
Bible Verse
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. - Hebrews 13:8
About the Photo
I very definitely wanted this photo to focus on Donald with the Christmas tree bokeh behind him. To achieve that look, I used a 50mm prime lens with the aperture set at f/1.8 to get the desired focus.
Also, the camera was not quite sure where I was trying to focus, so I switched to manual focus, just to make sure I got it right. That takes just a little more time, but it was worth it to make sure the focus was correct.
Once we got back home, I did the usual post processing in Photoshop. But I did not have to do anything major, because this one was pretty good from the start. That is always a bonus.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 Lens
Date: December 18, 2018
Location: At Sea on the Disney Dream
